Recording and Uploading Your Webby 5-Word Speech
As a reminder, Webby Awards XXV, hosted by Jameela Jamil, will take place on Tuesday, May 18th at 3:00pm EST. Over the next few days, you’ll receive instructions on how to upload your 5-Word Speech ahead of time.
Your Official 5-Word Speech: After recording, this will be uploaded to The Webbys From Home viewing platform, so everyone at home can follow the celebration. Note:You should record and upload one speech per winning piece of work. If your project won both a Webby Award and a Webby People’s Voice Award, you only need one speech. If your project won in multiple categories, you will still only need one speech.
Keep it Horizontal: All uploaded speeches should be horizontal. This is important, if it isn’t horizontal we may end up cropping out something or someone vital to the video!
Your Video Will Be Square: The speech will be cropped into a square so please be conscious of this when you are planning your shoot. See below for a full guide on how to record a great video.
Video Size: There is no max size for your video file—great news. HD or higher quality is preferable.
Include a Still Image: We’ll still need a thumbnail to represent your win, so please upload a photo. Just like your video, the uploader tool will only accept square images. Please prepare a square image and make sure you are in the center of the frame.
Device and Process to Upload: If capturing your video from a phone, do not text files to your computer. When emailing, please attach the original file. iPhone users – you can airdrop OR directly link to the video in your iCloud and share that link. More info here (second item “Share photos and videos with an iCloud Link”).
For those on Androids, Google Drive, Dropbox, or sending the asset as a document attachment via Whatsapp will help ensure source quality is retained and not compressed.
Tips for Recording a Great 5-Word Speech
1. Find Your Light
There’s a high probability your speech(es) will be recorded at home, so paying attention to lighting is important. Tap into your inner influencer, and set up a good space with the right lighting and great framing.
You can use sunlight, a lamp, etc. Just make sure we can see you, and that you aren’t backlit. Try to avoid harsh fluorescent light or shadows, if you can.
2. Try a Few Takes
As a rule of thumb, it’s best to try out a few takes, right? Our team is not editing these videos, so whatever you send is what will be uploaded on the Webby Awards XXV site. Watch it, try it a few times and take your time. You’ve got this!
3. It’s Cool to Be Square
Like we mentioned, all videos will be cropped into a square on the Webby Awards XXV site. So, make sure your background is only filled with things you’ll want memorialized forever.
Cute plants, Webby trophies from past years? Cool! Your dirty clothes hamper…maybe that can stay out of frame.
4. Try to Be Funny, If That’s Your Thing
It sounds easy, but this can be a tough one: try to be funny. If you are a Webby Winner, that’s a huge deal, so you should try to have fun with your speech. Enjoy what you are saying, and if you think you can be funny, go for it. Try slapstick comedy. Dark humor, is more your thing? That’s okay, too. Aim for the LOL.
5. Be Poignant
Sometimes it’s better to read the room, instead of shooting for humor. If the project you’ve won for is more serious in tone or subject matter, try speaking from the heart. If you’ve won for a project that is more serious, or purpose-driven in nature, maybe try imparting an important life lesson.
6. Be Creative
It’s the Internet after all! Creativity is always welcome here. Use costumes and props. Don’t forget about your background—if you have access to an amazing backdrop or location, definitely use that. The more visually appealing your video is, the brighter your speech will shine.
